1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to convertible or folding vehicle roofs.
2. Background Art
DE 101 16 094 A1 describes a vehicle having a convertible roof. A roof kinematic system connects the roof to the vehicle to move the roof between a closed end position in which the roof covers the vehicle interior and a stored end position in which the roof is folded and stored in a storage compartment of the vehicle. A transmission kinematic system is upstream of the roof kinematic system to improve the leverage ratios of the roof kinematic system. The transmission kinematic system provides a better leverage ratio in each end position so that the roof can be lifted from each end position against its weight with less expenditure of force. Further, the transmission kinematic system ensures a slow and impact-free roof motion between the end positions by decelerating the roof as the roof approaches an end position during transfer from the other end position. The transmission kinematic system consumes a relatively large amount of space.